A new study says beat the winter blues can mean eating less sugar
The researchers say it's doubly true if you are subject to depression.
Winter can really put a shock absorber on your mood, lack of sun and the influx of cold weather.Seasonal emotional disorder-Often mentioned by its less scientific duration, the "winter blues" -affette about 10 million Americans. But if we told you, there was a way for you to mitigate some of these symptoms?
According to a new study published in the newspaperMedical assumptions, a team of clinical psychologists discovered that eatingadded sugars can actually cause symptoms of depression worse. For many, by the wayChristmas cookies For neighbors and friends, it's something that encourages feelings of happiness, but new research suggests that it might cause exactly the reverse of the recipient.
But do not be fighting to have an elevated appetite for sweet stuff during the winter - it's plausible that you do not intentionally want to eat all these sweet cookies and pieces of pecan pie in addition to a few glassesEggnog. On the contrary, your body can make you hear more sugar because of the effect of the changing season.
This is true, the light that has decreased and the change of sleep diagram can collectively more prone to sugar and carbohydrate tawny in general, which can effectively trigger metabolic, inflammatory and neurobiological processes associated with depression. .
"A common feature of winter depression is the sugar crisis," said Stephen Ilardi, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Kansas and co-author of the study. "So we reached 30% of the population suffering from at least some symptoms of winter depression, which caused them carbohydrates - and now they are constantly confronted with holiday candies."
Although it is true that sinking the teeth in a real treat, like aChocolate truffle Or a flaky paste, initially provides a boast of happiness, too can be as destructive in your mental health as drinking too much alcohol.
"Alcohol is basically pure calories, pure, non-nutritive and super toxic energy at high doses," Ilédea said. "Sugars are very similar. We learn that when it comes to depression, people who optimize their diet should provide all nutrients whose needs of the brain and mainly avoid these potential toxins."
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One way to consciously reduce sugar this holiday season is to be more aware of the number of candies you eat..Sydney Greene, Ms., RDN, helps coach his customers on how to eat more mite and through this practice, she encourages them to listen closely what their body really wants to want.
"Several times the customers cut or cut on added sugar for only two weeks, they consider an improvement of the skin, digestion and mood," she says.
As a result, they begin to see a noticeable change in their sugar desires.
"Even more exciting, GoldSbuds really only need about two weeks to reset sensitivity levels and when customers try to eat sweet food several times, I hear" Oh yes that Muffin was too sweet " , she adds.
Greene says that, on average, a cookie with a bunch of biscuit pulp bought from about 16 grams of sugar, which is equivalent to eating four sugar packets. Instead, she suggests making your choice from scratch, this way of controlling the amount of sweet things you turn in the mixture. Imagine, you can reduce the added sugar content in your Christmas cookies this year in half if you really want.
In short, practicing more awareness of the amount of sugar you consume can tell you less risky to undergo increased symptoms of depression, especially during the winter season when you are inevitably the most likely to live a change of mood. . Added sugars can exacerbate these symptoms and contribute to a host of other problems, namely weight gain.
A good guideline to follow?The American Heart AssociationRecommends that women do not consume more than 25 grams of added sugar (six teaspoons) per day and that men are limited to 36 grams (or nine teaspoons).